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Police should be more sensitive towards crime against women

Hollywood actress Ashley Judd was raped when she was 14 and we think that only Indian women are unsafe. It is appalling that women are so powerless in the world’s most powerful country. An overwhelming number of men voted for Donald Trump, even after his derogatory comments about women. Why did the men vote for him, did they not find him obnoxious? No, the male population found his comments absolutely fine because this is how they also have their normal conversations! So if a supposedly educated billionaire can have such a sexist mentality how can the perverted, frustrated guys from the lesser privileged sections of Bengaluru not have a field’s day by molesting women?

Why is it so that women are objectified all over the world? Are considered inferior to men? Are considered weaker than men? Can any man even imagine keeping a life inside them for nine months and then go through the excruciating labour pains?

In our land of paradoxes, we worship all our goddess, pay obeisance to the female form for all the things we desire, be it wealth, power or education. Yet we will grope any hapless woman or throw acid on her face, if she refuses our advances. Even the International Badminton Association asks the women players to wear skirts to make the game more feminine. A woman can be raped, irrespective, of her choice of clothing, even if she is fully covered from head to toe; or even if she is in the ‘safety’ of her own home, with her own relatives. The list of crimes against women can go on ad infinitum. In the recently released ‘Kaabil’, police is again shown in a bad light, despite doing wonderful work in the past. But what is it that the police can do for the protection of the significant ‘weaker’ sex?

Firstly, we have to change the mindset of an average policeman, who also being a product of the same patriarchal society, still looks down upon women. I am not generalizing but can’t shy away from accepting the fact that very few women have the guts to go to a police station. There are too many peering eyes, too many uncomfortable questions. A woman feels violated all over again. But why am I blaming only the police? The police is but a reflection of the society. Isn’t it absolutely sad that it is the raped woman who is ostracized by her family and society? We find faults with her character, way of talking, dressing style, etc, whereas a person who commits such a crime behaves as a victor. Why he is never shamed? Sadly, many a time it’s the women who also show much contempt for the victims. It’s as if they desire vicarious pleasure by the plight of their own sex. Don’t all the ‘Saas Bahu’ derails depict that every day? It’s so ironic that it’s the ladies of the house who instil the idea of ‘male superiority’ in the boy’s head, right from his childhood. This notion has to be changed, and it can be done only by the women folk. Things are changing for the better but we still have a long way to go for a truly egalitarian society. It’s imperative to have meaningful sex education in school, moreover our men should be taught how to converse with the opposite sex. The repressed desires of so many men ultimately leads to vicious crimes like rape. This domination over women, this feeling of power makes them feel ‘masculine’.

Hindi cinema has also propagated this concept of a hero being an eve teaser for years and played a very important role in the development of the psyche of an adolescent mind. It’s only now that we have a hard-hitting movie like ‘Pink’ that teaches us how to be a real ‘man’. And that a woman’s ‘No’ means ‘No’.

We have to train policemen to accord a high priority to crime against women. As a young IPS trainee at the national Police Academy, I don’t remember reading anything about preventing crimes against women. The policemen, starting from the constabulary level should be taught all the relevant laws, procedures, etc, for such cases.

In cases of domestic violence, the police should not treat them as personal matters, to be sorted out in the family. It will be better if only women ‘man’ such police stations where crime against women are reported. There are all women police stations already but their number is too small to make a meaningful change. For this, we have to increase the intake of their cadres in the police force. The government has already made 33% reservation for women in the paramilitary forces, it will be great if it follows suit for the police.

The police should have a dedicated helpline and control room for all women-related crimes. The control room should be fitted with all the latest gadgets and technologies. All the state police should develop apps for woman, be it used for a distress call or domestic violence. Naturally, patrolling needs to be intensified in ‘dangerous areas’, the policeman on the beat must be made to understand that sexual crimes are as important as offences like robbery, etc. Then obviously, an average policeman must be at least aware of the basics of forensic science. So often a case is spoilt due to want of correct evidence. It will be better if we have trained squads for sexual offence investigation. This will lead to conviction and punishment of the offenders, who otherwise go scot-free making a mockery of the system. The laws are already stringent but need to be implemented in letter and spirit. Fast track courts can be appointed for expediting such cases. It’s high time that Indian police has trained psychologists to counsel victims after their traumatic experiences.

All these measures will increase the confidence of women and encourage them to lodge FIRs and complaints. Not reporting such cases has often emboldened the culprits. At the same time, lodging of false cases greatly reduces sympathy for genuine victims. Naturally, these cases have to be discouraged.

Teaching the techniques of self-defence are of paramount importance for today’s women. All schools should impart basics of using self-defence and equipment like tasers, pepper sprays and even an innocuous thing like a pen. Delhi Police regularly imparts training to school girls but it will be great if other state police also do the same.

Police and the government should make videos propagating messages related to crime against women, just on the lines of the successful clips of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the anti-smoking campaign. It’s time we start taking the Nirbhayas to hospitals immediately, instead of letting them lie on the roads for hours. And then vent our anger on the social welfare and having candle light vigils.

The world has always been harsh towards women but there is no better time to change the world order. As women are becoming increasingly self-reliant, financially independent and assertive of their identity, the society has to evolve to give women their rightful place. There is no one better than the police to be a harbinger of change. And this is my desire as the father of a young daughter.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Author

Amit Lodha is a 1998-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre. He is presently the Deputy Inspector General of the Border Security Force, posted in Jaisalmer. He has been honoured with the Excellent Contribution Award for successfully initiating a police-public partnership for better policing in Bihar's Nalanda district during his tenure as the superintendent of police there. He launched SAMBHAV- an organization under the aegis of the Nalanda district police to tap the power of the youth towards community development. The organization successfully engaged the youth in tackling important social issues. Showcasing exemplary leadership, he has played an instrumental role in a number of successful police operations. He has been the recipient of various awards and commendations, including the acclaimed President’s Police Medal of Gallantry and the Internal Security Medal.

Amit Lodha is a 1998-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre. He is presently the Deputy Inspector General of the Border Security Force, posted in Jaisalmer. H. . .

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Author

Amit Lodha is a 1998-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre. He is presently the Deputy Inspector General of the Border Security Force, posted in Jaisalmer. He has been honoured with the Excellent Contribution Award for successfully initiating a police-public partnership for better policing in Bihar's Nalanda district during his tenure as the superintendent of police there. He launched SAMBHAV- an organization under the aegis of the Nalanda district police to tap the power of the youth towards community development. The organization successfully engaged the youth in tackling important social issues. Showcasing exemplary leadership, he has played an instrumental role in a number of successful police operations. He has been the recipient of various awards and commendations, including the acclaimed President’s Police Medal of Gallantry and the Internal Security Medal.

Amit Lodha is a 1998-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre. He is presently the Deputy Inspector General of the Border Security Force, posted in Jaisalmer. H. . .